More than three years after their introduction in North America, the SKF bottom brackets have lived up to their promise as the most reliable bottom bracket on the market. Many have been ridden for tens of thousands of miles in all kinds of weather. Each bottom bracket carries a 10-year warranty that includes the bearings, yet we have received fewer than a handful of warranty returns. This truly is a component you can install and forget.

The only concern some riders have had is a color issue: The models with the JIS taper are equipped with a left-side cup that is anodized red, which can clash with some paint colors. (I like the contrast on my dark blue Urban Bike shown above.) The right-side cup is part of the BB assembly and always finished in silver.

Fortunately, we have been able to obtain a small quantity of black and silver cups. When you buy an SKF bottom bracket, we will substitute the red cup for black or silver upon request. There is an upcharge for this ($ 7 for black, $ 10 for silver). We also offer replacement cups ($ 12 for red, $ 15 for black, $ 18 for silver).

We want you to be as happy with the appearance of your bottom bracket as you will be with its function.

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About Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly

I love cycling and bicycles, especially those that take us off the beaten path. I edit Bicycle Quarterly magazine, and occasionally write for other publications. One of our companies, Bicycle Quarterly Press publishes cycling books, while Compass Bicycles Ltd. makes and distributes high-quality bicycle components for real-world riders.

5 Responses to Silver Cups for SKF Bottom Brackets

We are discounting the red ones, because every time somebody orders a silver cup with their JIS BB, we’ll have a red one left over. The silver cups we have to buy new, so they are full price. As for the black ones, they were left over from a discontinued model, so we got a deal on them.

I was surprised by the red cup on mine, but when I saw it on my yellow bike I was quite happy with it. I also have a SRAM Red cassette, which has the same shade of red on the back side. Nice little bit of bling on the bike.